University of Leeds

When Leeds University asked Urban Planters to design a garden for the ninth-floor atrium at its medical faculty, we decided to draw inspiration from medicine itself to suit the setting.

We created a cluster of large, metal molecular cell-shaped beds across the space, planting each one in varying shades and textures, using green moss alongside plants used in medicine.

The scheme’s design ensures the garden offers a themed, tranquil view to students walking around the garden not only on the same floor, but also from the three floors above, which also look down on the space.

“Our biggest challenge was getting the 63 pallets, each with 40 bags of compost, into the atrium space via a window and ensuring we distributed the soil carefully due to weight restrictions,” explains Urban Planters’ Thomas Palfreyman, who designed the scheme. “It took us 10 days to install but we are really pleased with the final result,”